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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 21 OctOber 2020
Donors pledge $1.7 billion for Burkina Faso, Mail and Niger

By EDITH M. LEDERER This requires improved agri-
Associated Press cultural productivity, urban
UNITED NATIONS (AP) planning and economic
— More than 20 donors development, he said.
pledged nearly $1 billion for Both Guterres and Low-
the three countries at the cock appealed for $2.4 bil-
epicenter of a humanitar- lion to cover the remaining
ian crisis in Africa's Sahel re- months of 2020 and 2021.
gion for this year and over U.N. spokesman Dujarric
$700 million for 2021 and said donors pledged $985
beyond, the United Nations million for this year and
announced Tuesday. $704 million for 2021 and
U.N. spokesman Stephane beyond.
Dujarric said the funds will Among the pledges were
help some 10 million people 43.6 million euros ($51.5
in Burkina Faso, Mali and Ni- million) from the European
ger for the remainder of this Union, 8 million euros in ad-
year and through next year ditional funding from EU
with "nutrition, food, health member Belgium, and 390
services, water and sani- million kroner ($42 million)
tation, shelter, education, from Norway.
protection and support to "The EU's pledge consists of
survivors of gender-based 23.6 million euro in funding
violence." This June 4, 2020, file photo shows Women and children walk in a makeshift site for displaced for humanitarian actions in
U.N. Secretary-General people in Kongoussi, Burkina Faso. Associated Press Burkino Faso, Mali and Ni-
Antonio Guterres told the ger, and 20 million euro in
high-level virtual donors ing people's livelihoods. could reach neighbor- high-level meeting that development funding to
meeting co-sponsored by And COVID-19 is making all ing countries and further these root causes "are not address the food crisis af-
the U.N., Denmark, Ger- of it worse." afield." being properly addressed," flicting the central Sahel
many and the European The U.N. chief said this Lowcock said more than saying the international region," European Com-
Union that "the central Sa- downward spiral "is a mi- 13 million people in Burkina community has focused mission spokesman Balazs
hel region is at a breaking crocosm of cascading Faso, Mali and Niger need mainly on short-term hu- Ujvari said. He said the EU
point" and humanitarian global risks converging in emergency assistance to manitarian aid and secu- has already "mobilized" 8
needs in the border region one region," and needs survive, including 5 million rity interventions "but much billion euros for the region
of the three countries "have to be reversed with a re- children. more is needed." since 2014.
reached record levels." newed push for peace and Before the meeting, he told He called on the inter- Norwegian Foreign Minister
"The security situation has reconciliation. The Associated Press that national community and Ine Eriksen Soereide said:
deteriorated sharply, harsh- U.N. humanitarian chief the troubling situation in the the Sahel governments "Safe and unhindered hu-
ly affecting people's daily Mark Lowcock reiterated three countries is a symp- to make far bigger invest- manitarian access is abso-
lives," he said. "Violence is that "nowhere in the world tom of failure to deal with ments in basic services, es- lutely crucial to be able to
rising, and women and girls worries me as much as the a broad range of political, pecially education, health, protect civilians, provide
are especially vulnerable. Sahel in the medium-term." security and development clean water, sanitation education for children and
Internal displacement has And he again expressed challenges, as well as rapid and family planning, and young people, as well as
increased twenty-fold in fear that the region "is very population growth and cli- in adapting to the pres- prevent and deter sexual-
less than two years. Cli- close to a tipping point, mate change. sures of climate change ized and gender-based
mate change is threaten- with ripple effects that Lowcock told Tuesday's and population growth. violence." q

EU takes action against Malta, Cyprus for 'golden passports'

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN vetting rules. ports have been issued to
Associated Press Cyprus says it will end its pro- investors under the pro-
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Eu- gram from Nov. 1, though gram, generating more
ropean Commission the Commission notes that than 7 billion euros ($8.25
launched infringements the country plans to con- billion). In Malta, the pro-
procedures Tuesday tinue processing current gram was among the top-
against Cyprus and Malta applications. ics investigative reporter
over their "golden passport" The Cypriot program was Daphne Caruana Galizia
programs, in which wealthy introduced in the wake had reported on before
people can acquire EU citi- of a 2013 financial crisis she was blown up by a car
zenship in exchange for an that brought the country bomb while driving in 2017.
investment. to the brink of bankruptcy "The schemes remain in
The EU's executive said the and forced it to accept a place for the time being,
lucrative schemes are in financial rescue program in both member states
violation of EU law and un- from creditors. Like a similar concerned and could be
dermine the "essence of EU program in Malta, it has at- replaced by similar invest- A demonstrator takes a mock copy of Cyprus passport during
citizenship." tracted many foreigner in- ment schemes" said EU a demonstration against corruption outside of the conference
Cyprus recently an- vestors because a passport Commission spokesman center in the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020.
nounced that it was ending from those EU countries Christian Wigand. "Malta Associated Press
its program amid allega- automatically grants the has in fact informed the Malta responded in a state- regulations "which take into
tions that a top state official holder access to the entire Commission that it envisag- ment that its program will consideration the Europe-
and a veteran lawmaker 27-nation European Union. es a prolongation of citizen- soon be terminated and re- an Commission's concerns
were trying to bypass strict Around 4,000 Cypriot pass- ship foreign investment." placed by new residence and recommendations."q